Shoe tree having flexible size adjusting means



.June 21, 1960 A. L. SCHICK 2,941,220

SHOE TREE HAVING FLEXIBLE SIZE ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Dec. 22, 1958 21 j) i .19 13 6 i mmw i if I 3 g 14 filerf kg ggz I T' BY 15 13 23 19 I w/ M Ki v Jittq United States Patent SHOE TREE HAVING FLEXIBLE SIZE ADJUSTING MEANS Albert L. Schick, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Plasticraft Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 22, 1958, Ser. No. 782,143

1 Claim. (Cl. 12-115.6)

The invention relates to improvements in shoe trees and more particularly to the novel construction and arrangement of means to facilitate size adjustment thereof.

Shoe trees of the general character of the device of the present invention are provided with a resiliently yieldable stem or arm adapted to flex sufliciently to permit its easy insertion into and removal from a shoe. Such known forms of construction do not embody any means to facilitate lengthwise adjustment of the stem so as to facilitate its being adjusted to a wide range of shoe sizes.

The shoe tree of the present invention embodies novel structure adapting the flexible stem to be adjusted lengthwise relative to the body and to be frictionally held firmly in any position of adjustment. More specifically, the body of the shoe tree is formed preferably in the shape of a hollow shell and is provided within its dimentional outline with novel means to mount a springtype nut to receive the stern for adjustment therein. Further, the nut is of a type adapted to threadedly receive and adjustably secure a coiled spring stem to the hollow shell body of the tree, the flexibility of such coiled spring stem being advantageously utilized in enabling the free end of the stem which extends between the nut and the under side of the hollow shell to conform to the configuration of the latter whereby the stem may move into the shell without shell Wall interference.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novelly constructed shoe tree.

Another object is to provide a shoe tree with novel means to facilitate size adjustment.

Another object is to provide a shoe tree having a resiliently flexible stem adjustably mounted in the body thereof and one which is ruggedly constructed inexpensively and simply.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a shoe tree embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view of a portion thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the shoe tree comprises a body or toe portion 11, a hand engaging member or heel portion 12, and a coiled spring-type connecting stem 13. The body portion 11 may be fabricated in any suitable manner and preferably from suitable moldable plastic material into a tapered-rounded body including a substantially vertical straight back wall 14 and a curved peripheral wall 15, both merging into an arched top body wall 16. The back wall 14 and top 2,941,220 Patented June 21, 1960 ice wall 16 have, formed integral therewith, a boss 17 that extends inwardly from back wall 14 and has formed integral with its innermost end a perpendicular flange 18 formed with inturned margins 19 defining opposed grooves 21. The boss is suitably formed with an axial opening 22 to receive freely therethrough one end of the coiled spring stem 13. By receive freely is of course meant that said opening is untapped and is of a size to interpose no restraint to the stem moving axially through the boss in either direction.

A- friction nut or spring plate 23 providing the sole means for securing the stem to the tree body is fitted with its side edges seated loosely in opposed grooves'21 and it has threaded through its central aperture 24, the inner end of the coil spring stem so as to adjustably retain said stem connected to the body. The effective length of said stem may be varied by rotating the same relative to the body portion 11 and nut 23 therein. When the stem is rotated a distance suflicient to carry its inner end against the top wall 16, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the flexibility of said end portion enables it to be flexed downwardly along said wall thus permitting further adjustment inwardly without wall interference.

In use, following lengthwise adjustment of the stem to the particular size of shoe to which the tree is to be applied, the body portion 11 is inserted in the front of a shoe and the coiled spring stem 13 is flexed and bent sufiiciently to locate the heel portion 12 against the inside surface of the back of the shoe.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure shown may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim:

A shoe tree comprising a shell like body having a top wall and a back wall depending from said top wall, the top wall being inclined downwardly forwardly from the back wall, a boss integral with the bottom face of said top wall and with the inside face of said back wall, said back wall and boss having a common opening therethrough, a coiled spring stem having one end projected through and being freely received in said passage, parallel opposed channels on the innermost face of the boss one on each side of said passage, and a normally bowed spring type nut having opposed margins seated in said channels and through which said stem is threaded, said nut providing the sole means of securing the stem to the body and also providing for lengthwise adjustment of the stem with respect to said body, said stem being flexible whereby in certain positions of its lengthwise adjustment its innermost end may conform to the downward inclination of said body top-wall without wall interference.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,893 Neitzel June 20, 1911 2,123,764 Berry July 12, 1938 2,226,565 Kristal Dec. 31, 1940 2,382,521 Tinnerman Aug. 14, 1945 2,392,704 Simmons Jan. 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 365,690 Great Britain Feb. 5, 1930 974,376 France Sept. 27, 1950 

